BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It had been a while since Tom Allen had given out a game ball. But he didn't need see the numbers or make any further assesments before he entered the postgame locker room. He knew who it was going to.
Aaron Casey, the sixth-year senior linebacker, was everything a team looking to spurn an upset would need on Saturday. Nine tackles on the day, seven of them solo and four for loss, also included two sacks. He was Indiana's oxygen tank, giving the Indiana season and their hopes for a bowl game air for another week. Whatever Wisconsin wanted, Casey denied. For his efforts, he received the honor.
"Without knowing the stats, I saw it live, in person, I knew it was special," Allen said. "It's everything. It's leadership."
On a day where 225 of Indiana's 261 yards and 17 of the 20 points came in the first half, the door for a late comeback victory remained open. The Hoosier defense, however, repeatedly slammed that door shut when it mattered most. Indiana did just enough offensively, and only just, to earn the victory that the Hoosiers' defense had played well enough to earn.
Wisconsin had the ball five times in the fourth quarter. One the first of those drives, taking a snap from just outside the red zone and trailing by just three, the Badgers looked primed to at least put points on the board and tie Saturday's game with the remainder of the quarter to play.
Then, Casey completely blew through the Wisconsin offensive line on a designed blitz for a sack of 10 yards. It knocked the Badgers out of field goal range, and the Hoosiers maintained their lead. The next drive, he forced a fumble that took the ball back from the opponent. Nothing would come of the final three drives. On the last gasp effort from Wisconsin, Casey's second sack served as the emphatic exclamation mark of the dramatic win.
His fourth quarter alone was worthy of an entire’s game’s praise. Time and time again, when the bell rung and a big play was called for, Casey and the Indiana defense responded.
"You have to have your best players step up and play really well in games like this, a game you know you have to win, against a really good team," Allen continued. "Proud of him and proud of all the guys around him."
Casey isn't much for speeches, Allen says, as he'd rather let his play do the talking. It’s what Indiana needs him to do, as he’s the one they rally behind. Two weeks ago, however, following a frustrating loss to Rutgers on their home turf, Casey spoke — taking ownership of performance that wasn't up to his standards.
"For our defense, it starts with the linebackers and in that game against Rutgers, I didn't feel like I produced well to help the defense do well," Casey said. "I told (Coach Allen) I would do everything in my power to make sure it didn't happen again."
In the performances that have followed, he's been hellbent on not only turning around the trend of his own season, but the team's too. His 10 tackles, half sack and 1.5 tackles for loss didn't net the result the Hoosiers were in search of on the road against Penn State, but his individual game was trending back toward it's peak. Indiana, however, still needed it to show up on Saturday's across the entire unit.
"I said it for several weeks," Allen started, "we need some gameday success to reinforce, give them some positive energy to say, 'Man, if you just stay the course, you're going to be rewarded on game day. They finally got it today."
It's year six for Casey, his last in Bloomington, and he’s playing his best football. The challenge from Allen to his players is to continually be on the rise, a statement that's emblematic of the growth and journey Casey has had in the program. It's been gradual, but natural – ascending the ladder year-by-year. Now, down to three guaranteed games left in his collegiate career, Indiana still has hopes for a fourth game as the calendar flips to December.
They can thank the efforts of the teammate and leader they've nicknamed "Ace," who was the one that Indiana turned to for an answer. They weren't the better team coming into the matchup versus the Badgers, but were the better team on Saturday.
Now, to keep their season alive, they'll need to be the better team three more times – an effort Indiana will go about one weekend at a time. But because of their leader, their ace, their oxygen tank on Saturday; they'll have the chance.
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